Demand for highly-educated and skilled workers has fueled a rise in a specialized graduate science education degree for “technically trained leaders,” according to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The trend burgeoning in higher education illustrates the demand for workers with a strong academic background buttressed with real-world skills in all sectors of the job market.
The number of professional science master’s (P.S.M.) degree programs in American universities has grown over the past two years and is now available at nearly 100 universities. “The degrees represent a response from academe to repeated calls from corporate and political leaders for better articulation of American graduate education with the country’s work-force needs,” the article said. Industry wants workers who have in-depth knowledge and the know how to apply it.
Companies, government agencies and nonprofits seek P.S.M. graduates with the expectation that they help be innovative and contribute to the knowledge-based global economy. P.S.M. degree programs include rigorous course work in science or mathematics for fields with high career demand. In addition, courses require students to obtain a background workplace in areas such financial and project management, communication, teamwork, ethics, and regulatory affairs. The universities coordinate with employers to ensure that the programs are equipping students with real and timely economic demands.
As P.S.M. degrees grow in demand, the need for individuals — of all ages and across all job sectors — to obtain both academic and technical skills will likely be more apparent.
growing number of jobs require workers with greater analytical and interactive skills, but that students are not prepared to enter postsecondary, where they are most likely to acquire these skills. She went on to say that “while the current U.S. education and training system has been shown to provide valuable labor market skills to participants, it could be more effective at encouraging completion and responding to the needs of the labor market.” Her suggestions for improving the system come from CEA’s report Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow which we 
At a luncheon today at the National Press Club, during which he 
ollege success. During this webinar, you will hear about the different ways in which states and postsecondary institutions can and have used data to inform policy and practice. Participants will also have an opportunity to learn how the WA State Board for Community and Technical Colleges has used data to improve system performance.
udent achievement.